Dynamically modifiable adaptive machine tool control
system and method

ABSTRACT

A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ADAPTIVELY CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF MACHINE TOOLS, THE SYSTEM INCLUDING PROCESSING MEANS FOR SUPPLYING CONTROL SIGNALS TO EACH MACHINE TOOL. A FEEDBACK MEANS SUPPLIES FEEDBACK SIGNALS REPRESENTING OPERATION FACTORS OF THE TOOL TO THE PROCESSING MEANS. STORAGE MEANS STORES A PLURALITY OF ADAPTIVE CONTROL PROGRAM MODULES, EACH ARRANGED TO OPERATE THE PROCESSING MEANS TO RESPOND TO THE FEEDBACK TO PROVIDE DIFFERING CONTROL PARAMETER INSTRUCTIONS. THE STORAGE MEANS ALSO STORES PART PROGRAMS INCLUDING OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS DEFINING PREDETERMINED OPERATIONS OF THE MACHINE TOOL. A PART PROGRAMMER SUPPLIES A DESIGNATION OF THE PART PROGRAM TO BE USED AND ALSO SUPPLIES DESIGNATIONS OF CHRACTERISTICS OF THE MACHINING, COVERING SUCH THINGS AS THE TYPE OF MATERIAL, TYPE OF TOOL AND TYPE OF CUT. THE PROCESSING MEANS RESPONDS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE METHOD BY SELECTING THE DESIGNATED PART PROGRAM AND BY DECODING THE DESIGNATIONS OF MACHINING CHARACTERISTICS TO SELECT ONE OF THE ADAPTIVE CONTROL PROGRAM MODULES. THE SELECTED PART PROGRAM OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS CAUSE THE PROCESSING MEANS TO SUPPLY THE CONTROL SIGNALS TO THE MACHINE TOOL, THE CONTROL SIGNALS BEING DEFINED IN TERMS OF THE DEFINED OPERATIONS AS MODIFIED BY THE CONTROL PARAMETER INSTRUCTIONS.

DEFENSIVE PUBLICATION UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE Published at the request of the applicant or owner in accordance with the Notice of Dec. 16, 1969, 889 O.G. 687. The abstracts of Defensive Publication applications are identified by distinctly numbered series and are arranged chronologically. The heading 0! each abstract indicates the number of pages or specification, including claims and sheets or drawings contained in the application as originally filed. The dies of these applications are available to the public for inspection and reproduction may be purchased for 30 cents a sheet.

Defensive Publication applications have not been examined as to the merits of alleged invention. The Patent Ofllce makes no assertion as to the novelty ot the disclosed subject matter.

PUBLISHED MARCH 5, 1974 T920,008 DYNAMICALLY MODIFIABLE ADAPTIVE MACHINE TOOL CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD Walter B. Broadwell, Malibu, Richard M. Burkley, Los Angeles, and Royal H. Daw, Sherman Oaks, Calif., assignors to International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY. Continuation of abandoned application Ser. No. 251,727, May 8, 1972. This application Apr. 23, 1973, Ser. No.

Int. Cl. G06f 15/46 US. Cl. 340-1725 10 Sheets Drawing. 41 Pages Specification I I I0 CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT DISK FILES CARD READER I IS IS PAPER TP MAG TAPE TAPE PUNCH 221 a 24 A PAPER TP M c TAPE use READER CARD PUNCH CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT (PROCESS! 5PM :00 Pl u or CARD READER reap l mu.

A system and method for adaptively controlling the operation of machine tools, the system including processing means for supplying control signals to each machine tool. A feedback means supplies feedback signals representing operation factors of the tool to the processing means. Storage means stores a plurality of adaptive control program modules, each arranged to operate the processing means to respond to the feedback to provide diifering control parameter instructions. The storage means also stores part programs including operation instructions defining predetermined operations of the machine tool. A part programmer supplies a designation of the part program to be used and also supplies designations of characteristics of the machining, covering such things as the type of material, type of tool and type of cut. The processing means responds in accordance with the method by selecting the designated part program and by decoding the designations of machining characteristics to select one of the adaptive control program modules. The selected part program operation instructions cause the processing means to supply the control signals to the machine tool, the control signals being defined in terms of the defined operations as modified by the control parameter instructions.

March 5, 1974 IJYNAM ICALJHI MJDIFIABLE ADAPTIVE MACHINE .IOOL CONTROL Original Filed May 8, 1972 CARD READER w. B. BRQAQW'ELL E-TAL T920908 SYSTEM AND METHOD l0 Sheets-Sheet l CARD PUNCH CARD READER CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT TERMINAL TP MAG. PAPER TAPE TAPE PUNCH TP MAG. PAPER TAPE TAPE READER CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT (PROCESS) "'T T SPM :00 IF! :AI I01 1 I I l 291 .1 E JE B 4 $2 2 MACHINE TOOL FIG. I

March 5, 1974 w. a. BROADWELL ETAL T920,008

v DYNAMTCALLY MJDIFIABLE ADAPTIVE MACHINE TOOL CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD Original Filed May 1972 10 Sheets-Sheet B GENERATE NC PART PROGRAM LOAD ADAPTIVE CONTROL ALGORITHM ENTER ADAPTIVE 44 CONTROL INCLUDE ADAPTIVE ALGORITHM ALGORITHM CALL OUT PROGRAM MODULE STATEMENT IN NC PART PROGRAM CALL OUT INFORMATION TRANSLATE CALL COMPILE PROGRAM OUT STATEMENT MODULE TO MATRIX FORMAT COMPARE T0 LINK EDIT TO BUILD TRUTH TABLE M R I X TO EXECUTABLE CORE AT LOAD OBTAIN MODULE IDENTIFIER COMPILE AND STORE ON DI SK POST-PROCESS NC PART PROGRAM SEND TO "TOOL DATA SOURCE" STORAGE DISK FIG. 2 55- FIG. 3

March 5, 1974 Original F il e'd May W. B. BROADWELL L DYNAMICALLY MJDIFIABLE ADAPTIVQMAGHINE TOOL CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD" IDENTIFY PART PROGRAM SELECT PART PROGRAM AND BEGIN PROCESSING PP DATA TO CONTROL TOOL OBTAIN IDENTIFIER OF SELECTED MODULE FROM PP DATA STREAM LOAD MODULE FROM DI SK INITIALIZATION OBTAIN SENSOR DATA AND PP COMMAND STREAM DATA ALTER COMMAND STREAM DATA IN ACCORDANCE WITH MODULE TRANSMIT ALTERED COMMAND STREAM TO TOOL l0 Sheets-Sheet 5 CUTTING COMPLETE FIG. 4

March 5, 19 74 W. B. BROADWELL ETAL DYNAMICALLY MODIFIABLE ADAPTIVE MACHINE TOOL CONTROL Original Filed May a, 1972 TELL SYSTEM WHICH ANALOG POINTS ARE TO BE READ TELL SYSTEM HOW OFTEN TU EXECUTE TH l 3 ALGOR I THM TURN OFF IN I T 1 AL I ZAT 1 ON FLAG EX I T SYSTEM AND METHOD INIT I ALIZATION ENTRY? FIG. 5

l0 Sheets-Sheet 4 March 5, 1974 DYNAM I GAIJLY MODIF I AB Original Filed ma a, 1972 ENTER ALGOR I THM INI T I AL I ZAT I ON ENTRY W. B. BROADWELL GET CURRENT FEEDRATE YES ALREADY AT LOWEST I O I S SEEN ANY) METHOD GET ANALOG VALUES OF X AND Y FORCE CALCULATE RESULTAST FORCE "R" TOO HIGH? TOO LOW? ET AL T920,008

i I'IIMYFLJB IHJJIIINIZI TOOL CONTROL l0 Sheets-Sheet 5 GET CURRENT FEEDRATE CALCULATE LINEAR PROJECTION FOR STEP TO USE TELL SYSTEM TO CHANGE FEEDRATE EX IT FIG. es

ALREADY AT HIGHEST? TELL SYSTEM TO INCREASE RATE BY ONE STEP March 5, 1974 'w. B, BRQADWELL ETAL T9Z0,008

DYNAMICALLY MQDIFIABLE ADAPTIVE MACHINE TOOL CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD l0 Sheets-Sheet 6 Original Filed May 8, 1972 wUmOu mUmOu x mmOPm wmv ll'llllllll IIIIIII' A llllllu||| March 5, 1974 w. B. BROADWELL L T920903 DYNAMIGALLY MODIFIABLE ADAPTIVE MACHINE TOOL CONTROL Original Filed May 8, 1972 SET UP ENTRY SET THRESHOLD VALUE FOR CONSTRAINT V IOLATION ENABLE INTERRUPT EX l T FIG. 8

SYSTEM AND METHOD l0 Sheets-Sheet 7 FEEDRATE ALREADY AT SLOWEST YES SET TO SLOWEST STOP TOOL QUEUE INTERNAL FUNCTION TO SEND MESSAGE TO MACHINIST EXIT FIG. 9

March 5, 1974 w B. BROADWELL ETAL T920,008

DYNAMIGALLY MODIFIABLE ADAPTIVE MACHINE TOOL CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD Original Filed May 1972 10 Sheets-Sheet 8 TOOTH TOOTH TOOTH 1 2 3 x FORCE CUTTER ANGLE Y FORCE SLOT MILLING FORCES CUTTER ANGLE 17o --ik Q AI11) 162 iii/164 166 5167 160g 1 o TO15V 00 FROM TRANSDUCER 1 AMPLIFIER 163 166 171 1 Z* AI(2) 'COMMON FIG. H

March 5, 1974 w. B. BROADWELL ETAL T920,008

DYNAMICALLY MUDIFIABLE ADAPTIVE MACHINE TOOL CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD Ongmal Flled May 8, 1972 10 Sheets-Sheet 9 ACCAA QUEUE AND EXECUTE ALGORITHM LOAD CORE

INITIAL] ZATION 486 ACSAC TELL SYSTEM WHICH ACPST POST NEW ANALOG INPUT ALGORITHM VALUES POINTS ACPAF TELL ACGAI GET SYSTEM HOW CURRENT VALUES PSTPM OFTEN SET PROGRAMMED TIMER ACAIC READ ANALOG POINTS -l84 DI SABLE TIMER IF ERROR TIMER DRIVE ALGOR ITHM FIG. 12 I March 5, 1974 W. B. BROADWELL ETAL DYNAMICALLY MQDIFIABLE ADAPTIVE MACHINE TOOL CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD original Filed May -J, 1972 i0 Sheets-Sheet 1O MFX SYSTEM EXECUTE I 6 300 WORDS CL1 CLN ACSAC ACOCI ACAIC ACOCZ AC] 1c ACOC3 (450 WORDS) INSKEL COMMON 7 700 WORDS ADAPTIVE CONTROL TABLES 200 WORDS ZO/TOOL CORE LOAD AREAS ONE FOR EACH ADAPT I VE ALGORITHM l 3 500 WORDS) ACFAF, ACGA l ACFST PSTPM 470 WORDS VAR IABLE CORE AREA 5 200 WORDS ACC AA i 200 WORDS CAMS I 200 WORDS 

